The Blue Sun
by practical release
Summary: The twilight blue sun rest upon the world. An omen of life, death, and acceptance. How can Zuko Save the Fire nation when he couldn't save the one who needed it the most.
1. Chapter 1

You will fail

Said the small flickering blue flame. Flicking into the smoky abyss. Reflected on the still waters underfoot. The subtle hiss of burning…something louder than the slithering words of lies…or truths, Zuko could no longer tell anymore.

You will fail

This voice of the flame said once more, the blue flame slowly shrunk to that of embers. Sparks, or rather laugher popped from the nothingness it burned from, Zuko could no longer tell. The harder he closed his eyes, the more he could see the azure flame. The harder he pressed his ears shut, the louder the hiss became. The burning of something horrid, the smell of…decay.

YOU WILL FAIL!

A new voice, a louder voice filled with hatred. Filled with a vile fire that burned brighter than the blue embers; surging with wild reds and popping orange. The fire surrounded him; the abyss given life. No longer the smoky nothingness, but that of the Fire Nation throne room. Flickering blue embers scattered amongst the floor, a wild red fire burning the bannisters above.

You will fail ZU-ZU

YOU WILL FAIL PRINCE ZUKO!

So much fire and yet no heat. As the fire raged around him, he felt no fear, no anger, only loathing. He walked beyond the fire, through it as though it didn't exist. The popping of sparks and laughter filled the room, yet he could only walk forward, to the blue ambers. As he placed his hand down the blue flame recoiled before slowly smothering itself out. As he rose, again there was nothing, but the abyss. No more fire, only smoke and darkness and the stillness of the water underfoot.

You have failed me Zu…

And he rose from his bed. His breath ragged, his hands and face covered in sweat. Letting the dream wash over him he once again noticed reality. His wife Mai still sleeping, his chambers still covered in night.

_**Wait that can't be right**_

Zuko thought to himself. He always rose with the sun, yet it was still twilight; at least that was how it looked. As he walked to the balcony all he could do was shake. The silence of the night only accented his rapid breathing. Maybe it was the lack of any sound that made him restless. Maybe it was the lack of wind that made him anxious, but it was that of the blue sun in the sky that made him terrified.

A week went by since he sent a message to the avatar. A week of twilight, a week of fear in the streets, a week of no fire. The tension in the fire nation could be felt from the palace to the ember islands. No bender could produce a flame as the ominous sun seemed to watch them, judge them.

"Zuko…are you okay He heard a voice say. The motherly voice he learned to rely on to keep his cool. He turned and smiled. His lips felt tired as he smiled. How long has it been since he has felt happy? He felt a hand on his tense shoulder. Only now that he noticed, and he relaxed. How long has it been since he relaxed?

"I don't know Katara. For the past week the sun has been blue and no one to my knowledge can fire bend. I asked the Fire Sages and even they do not understand what happened. The only thing stopping people from panicking is fear." He said somberly. He felt a hug from behind him. He put her his hands on hers and held them tightly. Mai could always pull him from the brink, but even now he felt he was only keeping his head above water.

"Do you think the avatar knows?" Mai said, holding her husband tight. She didn't believe in many things, let it be pointless destinies or premonitions, but she would for Zuko. To be his anchor keeping him from drifting into his own self-loathing. He would not dwell, she would not let him, not for…

"I don't know Zuko" Aang said, rubbing the back of his neck and shaking his head. "The spirits only told me something was coming and even they didn't know what it was. But there is still hope" He said with a warm smile and even warmer palm as a red flame burned on top.

Zuko gazed into the fire, basking in the slight warmth, wanting to very much produce his own. Since the coming of the blue sun, he has felt nothing but inner cold. A frost he could not shake. It made him wonder if it was how he felt…how she felt. He would not dwell on it.

"Fire is not gone, so there must be a way to fix this." The Avatar said with a bright smile. He still had hope, which made Zuko brighten ever so slightly. He needed this hope like he needed his fire.

"Listen" He said so softly. So much so that Katara, Aang and Mai focused squarely on him. He didn't want to dwell on it, but his dreams wouldn't let him. The same dream every night, he could no longer avoid it. "Every night I have dreamed of fire. A blue one and a raging red. Both telling me I will fail. Every day now… I am starting to think they are right" Again he felt his anchor.

"A blue flame" Katara said ominously. "You don't think this has anything to do with Azula do you?" She didn't like that name on her lips, let along in her mind. With Azula's name came her screaming memory. Her wailing of insanity and her abrupt stop. She didn't know what haunted her more, the screams of insanity or her sudden, lifeless stares at the ground. Her breathing, short and fast, or her shivering. The fire bender…ex fire bender was cold.

"Zuko maybe we should go see her. Maybe your dreams are just that." Katara said trying to suppress the memory, harder now that she was in the fire nation, in the palace.

"Yea!" The Avatar said cheerfully. "I'm sure she has gotten better!" He nodded, trying to bring the spirits back in his friends. Katara gave him a comforting smile, while Mai didn't even look his way, only at Zuko with concern.

"I don't…know" Was all Zuko could force from his lips. His eyes fixed to the ground. His voice hitched in his throat, forcing himself to remember to breath.

"I don't under…" Was all the avatar could muster before being cut off by Mai.

"He…we haven't seen her." She said and rubbed Zuko's back.

"But…but its been over 6 months!" Katara said, her eyes squarely on Zuko. He could feel her eyes burning into him, so much so that he began to quiver under her gaze. He felt sick, much of it within himself. Having someone else put words to his shame made it real.

"She…she is up to this somehow." He said softly.

**Azula always lies**

Maybe he thought it, maybe they all did. But he knew he could no longer hide in his shame. Under the ever-present blue sun, he knew he had to stop wallowing in his shame and see her. See what trouble she is causing.

"Aang, Katara, lets to the asylum." He felt renewed, at least enough to look his friends in the eyes again.

"I'm coming too" He heard Mai say. He wanted to protest, but he learned long ago not to question his wife when she makes a proclamation. He missed her fire. How long has it been since he seen her determined?

Thanks to Appa it wasn't long till they found themselves at the asylum. An island only for one patient. Many nurses and one doctor. Their family doctor, one that knew Azula well. Well enough to not trust her, which made trusting him that much easier. The once vibrant island felt desolate. Gone were the bustling nurses he remembered, all catering to his…catatonic sister. He made sure they were all vetted to treat her with the upmost care. So much care that he wouldn't have too.

They landed at the door of his asylum. Wide open were the doors, papers thrown around, yet nothing knocked over. The plants have long since withered yet no dust lay upon the floors or desk. Dread filled his mind as they walked through the empty halls. The tidy yet ghostly quiet building bothered Zuko more than any chaos he wished to see otherwise. He knew his sister was now up to this…somehow. He needed to stop her. He needed to set things right!

He walked with haste, soon into a full-blown sprint as he ran to her cell…. her chambers. As he ran, faster than he ever felt he could, he saw one nurse, sweeping the floors near her cell door.

"What….what's going on here!" He screamed louder than even he would have liked, scaring the nurse as she fell to the floor and covering her face encase of attack. He scared her, he hated himself more for that, but there was no time. "Where is she!? Where is Azula!" He yelled again, between his haggard breaths he only now noticed.

The rest of the gang finally caught up with him and the nurse started to compose herself.

"I do not understand Lo… Fire Lord Zuko" She said scared, quivering onto the floor.

"What do you mean?" He said trying to control his voice and his breathing. He could feel her staring into his eyes. There were no lies she could tell that he wouldn't notice. No little lie that he couldn't detect in this moment. His eyes only would see the truth.

"My lord…Princess Azula… passed away last week."

**A/N**

**Jeez I haven't written anything in forever. I guess I have been far to busy but I have been reading a lot so I thought I would give writing longer stories instead of one-shots a try again. Hope you guys like it. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Drip**

The sound that brought Zuko's consciousness back to the abyss. Without the ever-present chants of his failure, this world seems to not exist until that sounds. With that sound brought a faint light to the darkness. Through the hazy distance he saw a girl slumped in a chair, gilded in fire nation armor. With familiarity came acknowledgement, until he could put a name to the figure.

**Azula**

He whispered, and he saw her body jerk ever so slightly. As he began to walk toward her, he started to hear her weeping. And with weeping were hints of laughter. The madness he remembered was still there. Maybe always there. He slowly began to stride toward, the weeping becoming louder with more blatant cackling. As the sound permeated this abyss, still her body didn't move; head still slumped down.

**Please…don't**

Her heard the abyss around say around him. Defeat filled him to the core. These weren't his feelings, yet he felt them all the same. As he moved closer the body jerked again. The begging continued around him before another voice dominated the other.

"Do it Aang" He felt the words spill his lips. Not knowing if he echoed the words around him, or he himself created it. As he put his hand to his mouth, the body jerked once more and fell into the water below, being fully engulfed. The splash however rose and rose before becoming a wave. Before he could brace himself it completely washed over him, pulling him down with her.

The water was so murky, he could barely make out the figure of his sister floating away from him.

**AZULA!**

He tried to scream as the water rushed his lungs. The panic of drowning, the seizure of body movement, slowly taking over before everything became dark again.

**Drip**

Again, Zuko Was brought back into consciousness. This time in a white room, sitting down. Across from him was her. Her torso wrapped; sleeves tied behind her. Again, her head slumped.

Nothing but blinding light and her. He slowly rose, his body still sore from his apparent drowning. So much so that he could barely stand, yet he needed to see her, he needed to touch. He slowly strode to her. Again, her body jerked just so slightly.

His body ached more the closer he got to her. Doubt filled his head; telling him to leave. Screaming into his mind to turn back. Soon he felt like he was dying, rationale tearing at his mind, common sense tearing at his soul, yet he could not stop. Instinct carried his weathered, withering body before he finally made it in front of her. He hands glided to her hair, to her face, to her chin. As he slowly rose her face to meet hers. He saw.

A gasp followed by screams. Her screams leaving his mouth as the sight. Blue veins, extremely pale skin, sunken lifeless eyes. As he screamed, he felt helpless. The grip on his sanity weakening as the room slowly faded from existence, back into the Smokey abyss. He watched as her skin slowly immolated. A blue flame charred her skin, before slowly engulfing her. As he screamed in terror, he found himself laughing. Not in his voice, or his sister but….

Her body soon became nothing but an ember, floating on the top of the still waters of the darkness. Only now that he could feel the warmth of the fire, did he realize just how cold it has been here. As the fire began to fade, so did the warmth. He could feel the cold permeated from his stomach and outward.

He found himself screaming for the fire to stay. Begging for its light, its protection in the darkness. He didn't want to be cold anymore he screamed into nowhere. He needed this fire, or everything would be cold and dark. Before long he realized that this too was not his voice.

His eyes jerked open as he found himself in a twin sized bed. The room was just as white as his dream. He could feel cold sweat dripping from him. As mind settled, he noticed Mai sitting on the edge of the bed, sleeping. As he slowly tried to move, her eyes began to open. She focused on him before her eyes opened wide and screamed.

**He's awake!**

Before he knew it, he heard shuffling outside the room and the door crashing ajar.

"Thank the spirits you are awake Nephew." He heard softly. He wanted to call out to his uncle, but he found his throat incredibly sore. "It is okay, do not strain yourself." He could not understand what was happening. The faces of pity surrounded him. Aang, Katara, his wife, and now his uncle.

"What…happened?" He forced from his mouth. The taste of copper following. The looks of pity only deepened on their tired faces and he was left to ponder what was happening, or rather what has happened.

"Zuko you…. you lost it" Katara said softly. And as she said it, his memories flooded back to him.

**"My lord…Princess Azula…passed away last week"**

He found himself falling to his knees. Eyes unfocused as he stared at the ground. He knew it couldn't be true, yet still he felt his hands go to her throat. He knew it couldn't be true as he slowly began to scream, louder and louder. He knew it wasn't true when he began to laugh, his hands getting tighter and tighter, before being blown away from her.

The world no longer mattered to him as tears blurred his vision. His raging screams continued. He found arms on him, warm arms and he laughed. Everything and everybody were warm but him. He was the fire lord but was the coldest one in the room. The thought alone was far to ironically funny, so he laughed and laughed before the memory of his sister again made him sob, before everything around him faded into nothing.

"I am sorry." He forced out, know realizing the ramifications of his actions. Their pity did not leave, and he wanted any look but that. He wanted them to feel relieved, or any angry. Feel sorry or regret, just anything but pity for him.

"I am happy you are awake nephew, but things in the fire nation are not well." Iroh said sorrowfully as he looked out the window. The blue sun high in the sky. "Word his spread, The Fire Nation knows of her death, soon will the rest of the world"

In the Distance, two voices became power. Two figures rising amidst the slow brewing chaos. A castle of stone, green covered banners. A council of cloaks. Battle plans being made, forces being gathered. An airship floating with fight nation armor died blue and black. Morning chants among a large effigy, a human sized box in the middle. The candles flickered blue.

**A/N**

**Thanks, Nickmack! I was afraid most people would be turned off by my writing style I am cultivating. I know it's a little hard to follow but it done on purpose for the sake of the story. At this point I already have like a billion notes on how I want the story to go, its just the order of things I want it to follow so I gave a little tidbit at the end. Well, hope you and others like it, and if not tear me apart in the comments lol. All criticism is wanted.**


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